Owls

State 2001 - Division I-AA Previews

August 24, 2001

COACH: Howard Schnellenberger (First season at FAU; 100-77-3 in 16 years overall).

LAST SEASON: First-year program.

DRIVING FORCE: It's Schnellenberger. He was hired three years ago and he's the man responsible for raising the money to get the program off the ground. Oh, yeah he's also put together a solid staff and brought in some good players.

EMERGING FORCE: Schnellenberger places a lot of pressure on his quarterbacks, so the eventual starter -- either Garrett Jahn or Jared Allen; both are redshirt freshmen -- will play a huge role.

ON OFFENSE: Schnellenberger plans to use a pro-style offense and said he won't name the quarterback until a day or two before the opener.

ON DEFENSE: FAU will use a base 4-3 defense, and tackle Danny Hernandez, a transfer from New Mexico, looks to be the best player. He's the lonely projected defensive starter heavier than 245 pounds.

THE BUZZ: There are seven home games, hard to believe for a first-year program. But excuse us if we don't think Pro Player Stadium will give FAU a huge home-field advantage.